 By STEVE BUFFERY - Toronto Sun
Banged-up Raptors point guard Jose Calderon said it best yesterday when asked what the team expects from Chris Bosh tomorrow night in Game 6 against the Nets.
"He is going to play good, for sure, because he is a really good player," the hard-working Spaniard said.
There is something lost in translation there because, on the surface, Calderon's statement seems kind of, well, simplistic, even funny. But it's not.
Basically, Calderon is correct. Bosh should "play good" because he is a good player. The problem is, he hasn't played great in this first-round series against New Jersey.
And for the Raptors to have any chance of defeating the Nets in Game 6 at the forbidding Continental Airlines Arena tomorrow night, and stave off elimination, Bosh will have to play the game of his life.
Something happens to the Raptors when they travel to the Swamp -- not just in the playoffs, where they stunk out the place in Games 3 and 4 -- but in the regular season this year when they lost both times and appeared in over their heads.
Throw in the fact that the Raptors may be without their two main point guards -- Calderon and starter T.J. Ford -- and the situation becomes even more perilous.
Calderon, who suffered a sprained right ankle, may play, as may Ford, who hurt his back when Vince Carter fell on him on Tuesday night, but neither will be firing on all cylinders.
So, more than ever, Bosh has to be The Man. No excuses.
Do you think he is feeling any pressure? As laid-back as they come, the big Texan acknowledged that, yes, he actually may have to carry his team tomorrow night, or their season is over. He didn't guarantee a win, or anything as ridiculous as that, just that he would play better.
Toronto head coach Sam Mitchell actually called out Bosh after Tuesday's win, which is something that often causes a rift between a coach and the player. Bosh's response has been controlled.
"I don't mind. It's never anything personal," he said. "It's not like I heard that from the media first. He talks to me first and it's probably worse what (he says) to me."
Bosh is averaging 16.4 points and 9.4 rebounds in the series, numbers that are below par for him. Twice now in the series, he has been forced to the bench with early foul trouble.
Points are at a premium in the post-season, and the fact that the Nets are quick to smother Bosh also has stifled his production.
Mitchell said yesterday that he has a couple of new schemes to spread the floor and get Bosh more open looks. Throwing Morris Peterson, along with rookie Andrea Bargnani, in the starting lineup certainly helped on Tuesday. And it should help again tomorrow.
But with two ailing point guards, the best player on the court tomorrow has to be Bosh. He has to be better than Carter, Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson, because if one of those three Jersey stars has a bad game, the other two can step up, as they usually do.
Bosh doesn't have that luxury. The Raptors have other good players in Bargnani, Anthony Parker and Ford, but none of them has established himself as an NBA star. Yet.
When Bosh has open looks, he is going to have to knock them down. He has to avoid early foul trouble and he has to be a monster both on the boards and on defence.
"Of course, I have to be (the best player), whether (I score) 10 or 20 points," Bosh said. "Like I always say, there were plenty of times when (Chicago Bulls') Ben Wallace had two points, but was clearly the most dominant guy on the court. If the offence comes, it's going to be a plus. But it has to be on the defensive end.
"I know that I'm going to be a great player in this league, and this is a part of the learning experience. Whether it's this year, next year or the year after, eventually I'm going to take a step."
Tomorrow would be huge. |
